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Why I Stopped Getting to Know God, Pt. I

It is
inevitable that what we think of a person is often influenced by what other people have to think and say
him/her.For example, let’s say
your best friend has an acquaintance named Sally whom she just loves.“Sally is the best, you’ll adore
her!She’s so sweet and
funny!”But
then you meet Sally, and she’s actually a real bitch.Well,
you may be put off; but because your friend just swore Sally was so great,
you’ll probably be inclined to give Sally another chance.Maybe
she was just having a bad day, or maybe
I did something to offend her, you’ll think.So now you’re making excuses for the behavior of someone
whom you don’t even know, just because your BFF has a different perception of
her than you do.

It
doesn’t always go like that.I’d
probably just be like, “Screw Sally!What kind of name is Sally anyway?”Nevertheless, it is undeniable that the
beliefs and assertions of other people – especially people close to us – have a
huge impact on our own beliefs about the world around us (not to mention, they
affect our beliefs about ourselves).

Our
thoughts about God are no exception.Since I was probably five or six years old, I have had hundreds of voices attempting to create
and influence my views on God – everyone from my parents to church leaders to acquaintances
whom I barely knew.And many of
those people succeeded at influencing how I believed and lived.

So
much of what I knew about God came from what other people told me about
Him.But I came to a point in my
life, about 3 years ago, when I had to ask myself, What do I know about
God?What experiences have I had
with this being, and what are the implications they’ve had for my life and
choices and future?Three
years ago, I felt forced to answer these questions when I had an experience that
would catalyze an emotional and confusing journey wherein which I started to
question everything I had previously believed.I was in church when it happened, actually...TO BE CONTINUED.

Xoxo,Christine

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